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George Washington Carver 1864 - 1943

Shoulders of Giants

March 9, 2015
From the Inkwell of: Bartholomew J. Worthington III
He single handedly saved the Southern economy. The Legacy of George Washington Carver. Shoulders of Giants
Born: Unknown 1864
Died: January 5, 1943


Much of George Washington Carver's early life is shrouded in mystery. It is believed he was born near Diamond Grove, Missouri, in 1864, though the exact date and year are unknown. His parents were Mary and Giles, an enslaved couple owned by Moses Carver. Shortly after his birth, young George, along with his sister and mother, were kidnapped by raiders and resold in Kentucky.

While Moses Carver would rescue young George, his mother and sister were never located. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Moses and Susan Carver made the decision to keep George and his brother James. They would raise and educate the two young men, teaching them how to read and write.

This early education would forever alter young George's destiny. As a young man, he would leave the Carver property to travel to a school that taught Black children 10 miles away. After attending several schools, George would complete his studies at Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas.

His mail-in application to Highland College was initially accepted, the the offer was rescinded once the school's administrator discovered he was Black. Undeterred, Carver would eventually be accepted to study at Simpson college in Iowa, the institution's first Black student. Though Carver desired to study science, the discipline was not offered at the college, so he would study piano and art.

He would go on to Iowa Agricultural College, again as its first Black student, and attain both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Upon the completion of his studies, Carver would go on to become the first Black faculty member in Iowa College's history.

Carver's reputation for his brilliance in botany landed him on Booker T. Washington's radar. Washington, then the principal of the African American Tuskegee Institute, recruited Carver to run the school's agricultural department.

Under Carver's direction, Tuskegee's agricultural program would achieve national prominence. His methods of crop rotation and crop diversification would greatly improve the conditions faced by former slaves, many of whom were now sharecropping the land. In addition to helping to stabilize the economic conditions of Southern Black farmers, Carver also created a mobile classroom that would bring his lessons to the farmers.

Meanwhile, at Tuskegee, Carver's groundbreaking plant biology research also raised his personal profile. His early experiments developed new uses for crops such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, pecans and soybeans. Carver would invent hundreds of products including dyes, paints, plastics, even a fuel. For all his work in developing industrial applications for agricultural crops, Carver would only file 3 patents related to developing a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.

In all, Carver would develop over 300 products from peanuts, and hundreds more from other products such as sweet potatoes and soybeans.  Among the products that he was able to derive from peanuts were dyes, paints, flour, soap, shaving cream and skin lotion, to name a few.  For all of his work with area farmers, Carver never accepted any payment.

George Washington Carver passed away on January 5, 1943, after falling down the steps at his home. Known for his modest manner, he would leave over $60,000 to continue his work at Tuskegee.

At the time of his passing, Carver was one of the most highly respected African Americans of his time. He would be bestowed an honorary doctorate degree from Simpson College. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of the Arts in London, He received the NAACP Springarn Medal. He was honored with the Roosevelt medal for restoring Southern agriculture. In fact, largely due to his influence, peanuts had developed into a $200 million a year crop in the United States.

3 Lessons
  1. The importance of Education: While Carver had a natural brilliance, it was the development and nurturing of his intellect that ultimately fueled his rise to prominence
  2. Every talent will be needed to build up a people: Though Carver's advances would ultimately benefit farmers from all aspects, he was particularly focused on empowering Black farmers, many of whom had struggled to make a living cultivating cotton.
  3. One must understand the necessity of planning one's legacy: Because of Carver's modest lifestyle, he would leave a sizable chunk of money for Tuskegee upon his death. What often gets overlooked is the potential value of the advances he made that he never obtained patents for. One could only imagine how powerful such a resource could have been if it had been left for the institution he would represent for nearly 30 years.
It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.”

George Washington Carver

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  • Home
    • About Us: The BlackPrint Statement of Purpose
    • Today in Blackness >
      • May in Blackness
      • Quote of the Day >
        • Quote of the Day March
        • Quote of the Day February
        • Quote of the Day January
        • Quote of the Day December
        • Quote of the Day November
        • Quote of the Day October
        • Quote of the Day September
        • Quote of the Day August
        • Quote of the Day July
        • Quote of the Day June
        • Quote of the Day May
  • Learn To Fish
    • The Case For Black Entreprenuership
    • How to File For A Tax ID Number
    • Getting Organized For Business >
      • Getting Organized For Business 2
    • The Case Against the 40 Hour Workweek
  • Shoulders of Giants
    • Giant: Patrice Lumumba
    • Giant: Nat Turner
    • The Donkey's Sin - Ethiopian Parable
    • Giant: Haile Selassie
    • Giant: Madame CJ Walker
    • Giant: Hannibal Barca
    • Giant: George Washingon Carver
    • Giant: Sojourner Truth
    • Giant: Toussaint L'Ouverture
    • Giant: Harriet Tubman
    • Giant: Huey Newton
    • Giant: Marcus Garvey
  • Mind On My Money
    • 6 Terms to Master Financial Literacy
    • Black Wealth By The Numbers
    • Blackonomics 102: State of The Black Owned Businesses
    • Blackonomics 101: State of the Black Economy
    • 25 Resources For Getting Your Business Off the Ground
    • Black Investing 101: Invest In Stocks For Your Kids
    • How to Introduce Your Child to Money - Infographic
    • Black Investing 101: Invest In Companies You Support
    • Black Personal Finance 101
    • Getting on Track
    • Managing Debt >
      • Addicted To Debt
      • THEY Don't Want You to Know
      • Dirty Little Secrets
      • Your Rights As a Consumer
    • Understanding Credit >
      • Why Credit Matters
      • About Your Credit Score
      • Optimize Your Credit Score
      • By the Numbers
  • Unruly Intellectual Blog